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What’s in a cigarette?

Tobacco smoke is both toxic and addictive. Find

out more about the lethal chemical cocktail inside
cigarettes.

Tobacco smoke contains around 7,000 chemicals.

Many of these are poisonous and over 60 are known
to be cancer causing (carcinogenic). No wonder so
many smokers would like help quitting.

The chemical constituents of cigarettes include:

Nicotine
Nicotine is a colourless, poisonous alkaloid derived
from the tobacco plant. It is a powerful drug, which
affects the brain and quickly becomes addictive.
Tar
‘Tar’ is the term used to describe the toxic chemicals found in cigarettes. It’s a sticky brown
substance that forms when tobacco cools and condenses. It collects in the lungs and can cause
cancer.
Carbon monoxide
An odourless, colourless gas that is released from burning tobacco. When it is inhaled it enters
the blood stream and interferes with the working of the heart and the blood vessels. Up to 15%
of a smoker’s blood can be carrying carbon monoxide instead of oxygen.
Arsenic

Arsenic-containing pesticides used in tobacco farming occur in small quantities in cigarette

smoke. Arsenic is commonly found in rat poison.

Ammonia

Ammonia is a toxic, colourless gas with a sharp odour. Ammonia compounds are commonly
used in cleaning products and fertilisers. Also used to boost the impact of nicotine in
manufactured cigarettes.

Acetone

Fragrant volatile liquid ketone, used as a solvent. Nail polish remover is a solvent, for example.
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Toluene

Toluene is a highly toxic chemical. Industrial uses include rubbers, oils, resins, adhesives, inks,
detergents, dyes and explosives.

Methylamine

Chemical found in tanning lotion.

Pesticides

A number of pesticides (toxic chemicals used to kill pests, usually insects) are present in
cigarette smoke. These pesticides find their way into cigarettes because they’re used on
tobacco plants as they are growing.

Polonium – 210

Radioactive element – used in nuclear weapons as well as an atomic heat source.

Methanol

Fuel used in the aviation industry.

Smoking and Physical Activity

In smokers, less oxygen is delivered to the body’s cells and to the heart and lungs. This decrease
in oxygen will reduce a smoker's physical endurance.
Smoking causes both immediate and long-standing effects on exercise and physical activity.
Smokers’ increased risks for cancer and heart and respiratory diseases are well known. Yet in
terms of exercise and physical activity, smokers also have:
 Less endurance
 Poorer physical performance
 Increased rates of injury and complications
What causes smokers to be less fit than nonsmokers?
To achieve peak performance, your heart, lungs and muscles need oxygen-rich blood. When
you inhale tobacco smoke, carbon monoxide (just one of the 4,000-plus chemicals found in
tobacco — more than 50 of which are known to cause cancer) binds to red blood cells. Oxygen
is displaced, preventing delivery to the muscles and other body tissues. This causes an increase
in lactic acid (the substance that causes muscle “burning,” fatigue, heavier breathing, and
increased soreness after exercise).
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This decrease in oxygen will reduce your physical endurance, making it more difficult for you to
do well in sports. It makes it harder to do everyday things, too, like walking up stairs. Decrease
in oxygenation also causes a smoker’s resting heart rate to be higher than a nonsmoker’s, as
the heart must work harder to deliver enough oxygen to the body.
What are some other effects of smoking on physical fitness?
A number of physical endurance studies have shown that smokers reach exhaustion before
nonsmokers do and can’t run as far or as fast as nonsmokers. Additional results noted that
smokers:
 Obtained less benefit from physical training.
 Had less muscular strength and flexibility.
 Experienced disturbed sleep patterns.
 Suffered from shortness of breath almost three times as often as nonsmokers.
 Are nearly twice as likely to suffer an injury than nonsmokers.
 Require more time to heal after an injury, or risk not healing at all.
Many think that smoking causes inflammation only in the lungs. However, smoking also affects
your bones and joints, putting you at increased risk for developing the following conditions:
 Osteoporosis
 Rheumatoid arthritis
 Low back pain
 Exercise-related injuries, such as
 Bursitis
 Tendonitis
 Sprains
 Fractures
 Higher risk for complications during surgery, if needed
 Slower recovery from injuries

Doesn’t smoking help me keep excess weight off?

Some people begin or refuse to stop smoking as a weight control measure. It has been shown
that smoking interferes negatively with metabolism, and smokers are less likely to be physically
active. It has also been shown that men who smoke actually consume 350 to 575 more calories
per day than nonsmokers. And studies show that the body fat of smokers tends to be
distributed in a pattern (mainly abdominal or “central, apple-shaped” fat distribution) that has
negative effects on health. A good diet and exercise routine is the best way to achieve and
maintain a healthy weight.
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Does smoking affect the physical performance of teens and preteens?

Teen and preteen smokers experience the same negative effects of tobacco that adult smokers
do, such as:

 Lower physical endurance and performance compared to nonsmoking peers

 Shortness of breath
 Increased sports-related injuries
 Poorer overall health
Smoking among teens and preteens can also slow down their lung growth, impair lung function,
and cause their hearts to beat faster than those of nonsmokers.
Young people who are heavy smokers also experience coughing, and more frequent and severe
respiratory illnesses. More frequent injuries as well as delayed return to sports after injuries has
also been observed.
Fortunately for both adult and young smokers, many of the effects of smoking can be reversed
when they quit smoking. Sooner is better!
https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/articles/10643-smoking-and-physical-activity
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What is Nicotine addictive?

Tobacco contains nicotine, which is “physically addictive” – meaning we experience a degree of
relief and sometimes pleasure when we take it, and when we stop we experience physical
discomfort. The same is true of heroin, of course, but that infamous drug is less deadly than
nicotine.
 Nicotine works by stimulating our nervous system to release specific chemical
messengers (hormones and neurotransmitters) that affect different parts of our brain
and body. One hormone that nicotine affects is epinephrine, also known as adrenaline.
When nicotine is inhaled, the buzz you feel is the release of epinephrine which
stimulates the body and causes your blood pressure and heart rate to increase, and
makes you breathe harder.

 Nicotine also activates a specific part of your brain that makes you feel happy by
stimulating the release of the hormone dopamine. The release of dopamine when
nicotine is inhaled is thought to be the source of the pleasurable sensations you
experience when smoking, which can include relaxation, a buzz, and relief of tension.

 Once inhaled, nicotine is rapidly distributed throughout the brain within 10 seconds. The
enjoyable feelings you experience from smoking occur very quickly, but after you’ve
smoked a few times nicotine begins to weaken your ability to feel pleasure, causing you
to need more nicotine in order to sustain the good feelings.

 This is the cycle of the smoking habit; in order to continue feeling pleasure from
smoking, you must continue to smoke more cigarettes, more frequently.

2. How does smoking affect your body?

 Respiratory System
- reduced lung function and breathlessness due to swelling and narrowing of the lung
airways and excess mucus in the lung passages
- increased risk of lung infection and symptoms such as coughing and wheezing
- permanent damage to the air sacs of the lungs.
 Circulatory System
- raised blood pressure and heart rate
- constriction (tightening) of blood vessels in the skin, resulting in a drop in skin
temperature
- ‘damage to the lining of the arteries, which is thought to be a contributing factor to
atherosclerosis (the build-up of fatty deposits on the artery walls)
- increased risk of stroke and heart attack due to blockages of the - blood supply.
 Immune System
- greater susceptibility to infections such as pneumonia and influenza
- more severe and longer-lasting illnesses
- lower levels of protective antioxidants (such as vitamin C), in the blood.
 Musculoskeletal System
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- tightening of certain muscles

- reduced bone density.
 Reproductive System
Male
- lower sperm count
- higher percentage of deformed sperm
- genetic damage to sperm
- impotence, which may be due to the effects of smoking on blood flow and damage
to the blood vessels of the penis.
Female
- reduced fertility, menstrual cycle irregularities, or absence of menstruation
- menopause reached one or two years earlier
- increased risk of cancer of the cervix
- greatly increased risk of stroke and heart attack if the person who smokes is aged
over 35 years and taking the oral contraceptive pill.
 Effects on Babies
- increased risk of miscarriage, stillbirth and premature birth
- weaker lungs
- low birth weight, which may have a lasting effect of the growth and development of
children. Low birth weight is associated with an increased risk of heart disease, high
blood pressure, and diabetes in adulthood
- increased risk of cleft palate and cleft lip
- increased risk of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)